Avoiding relationships
by daisyscrapper
Summary: Col. Sheppard and Dr. Keller both have something in common- avoiding relationships. They come up with a plan to discourage others from bothering them... until they both begin to enjoy their time together too much.
1. Chapter 1

_Although I am a Keller/Ronon shipper, I thought pairing her with John would be fun as well. Let me know what you think!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters. _

"Seriously, come on." Sheppard muttered, avoiding two new nurses that came on the _Daedlus_. He didn't know their names and, quite frankly, didn't care. The women had been turning up exactly the same time he ate in the mess hall for the last week. They hadn't approached him yet, but they always waited for him to sit and then strategically sat as close to his table as possible.

Ronon didn't stop shoveling in his food. "What?" He looked up as Sheppard groaned. Looking over at the two women sitting at the table next to them, Ronon turned and smiled at him. "What did Rodney call them? Your fan club?"

Suddenly feeling hopeful, Sheppard wondered out loud. "Maybe I'm imagining it. I wonder if they aren't looking at me and are looking over you instead."

Laughing, Ronon shook his head. "Nope. They follow you around Atlantis even when I'm not there." Still grinning, he reached over and patted his friend's back. "Check this out. Look over and see if what they do. I'm going to go get more of those french fry things."

As Ronon walked across the hall, Sheppard held his head down muttering "Am I really reverting back to high school?"

"You know," Atlantis CMO Jennifer Keller grinned and looked down at him and sat with her own tray. "Talking to yourself is a red flag. What's going on, colonel?"

The doctor seemed to be more relaxed at Atlantis compared to her first few months here. Sheppard knew she didn't feel confident when Beckett's fate made her the CMO, but the woman had definitely began to fill the big shoes of Carson. She had opened up won the hearts of many people on Atlantis, as well as a few men from his own team if rumor served correctly. Rumors had been swirling about her linked to both Rodney and Ronon. Sheppard decided not to get involved, but wondered what came of all that.

He genuinely liked the doctor. She was the real deal, both in the infirmary and outside. The only problem he had with her was she just ran into the worst luck off world. Between him and Lorne, they usually flipped a coin and money was often exchanged on missions involving her.

Getting back to reality, he sighed. 'Nothing. Ronon is just proving a point." Sitting up, he looked at her. "Tell me, doc, are the two women behind me drooling over Ronon walking across the room?"

Jennifer sat up straighter, grinning. She leaned over to look around Sheppard at the women. Eyes widening, she looked surprised. "Yeah, big no on the following Ronon part. They're glaring at me. What the heck did I do?"

Scowling, Sheppard nodded. "Great." He looked up to see Ronon returning with another mountain of food.

"Hey Jen," Ronon smiled. He sat down next to her, grinning, and leaned over towards Sheppard. "Looks like I was right?"

"What exactly is going on with you two?" Keller laughed, beginning to eat her chicken salad.

Sheppard held up a hand and warned Ronon with a look not to say anything. Looking serious for a split second, Ronon met Sheppard's glare and leaned over to whisper into Jennifer's ear. He watched the couple, wondering if they were together. Ronon certainly hadn't said anything about it. Jennifer's laughter brought him back to reality.

"Seriously, colonel, don't you know you're the number one guy around here with the ladies?" Jennifer whispered, chuckling at Sheppard's horrified look.

Amused, Ronon stopped eating. "Did I make the list?"

"Of course. You're the second. I think you would be first, to be quite honest, but I think there are a few women that are still scared of you." Keller bumped into him, grinning. "Don't worry, maybe Sheppard here will find himself in love with one of his admirers over here. Then he'll be demoted from the list and you'll get his spot."

"I don't think so," Sheppard said, pushing away his tray. "I've taken myself off the market, completely. It's not worth the trouble."

Jennifer was only half listening. Ronon followed her eyes and snorted. "The doctor has her own problems." He was amused that she was trying to hide her body away from the doorway by trying to hide besides his.

"Lovely. Just lovely." She said, about to get her tray and leave. "I thought I timed this better." Ronon tugged her down, earning a glare.

"What?" Sheppard asked, confused.

Jennifer tilted her head towards a group of men who just entered the mess hall. "That officer over there. Huggins?" She said, talking so that her lips didn't move in case he spotted her and somehow picked up what she was saying. "He's asked me out twice. Both times I made excuses, but I think turning him down a third time will just be rude."

Enjoying that someone else was on the hot seat, Sheppard glanced innocently over at him. "What not just go out with him?"

Jennifer hissed. "I don't want to. I enjoy being single. I don't want any complicated drama in my life right now. Especially with having a position that I didn't really expect to have when I joined Atlantis. I have enough to deal with as it is to add more things on my plate."

"Well, then just tell him that." Sheppard shrugged, eying her.

Rolling her eyes, Jennifer lowered her voice. "Oh yeah, you're doing a great job with the blond twins behind me. Why not take your own advice?"

"Well, maybe they'll think you're with Ronon." Sheppard glanced slyly at them. "Speaking of which..."

Ronon spoke up. "We're just friends."

"But we did think about it for about a minute when we were looked up in that room during the quarantine," Jennifer said, patting Ronon's back. "It ends up that we like each other too much to do that to ourselves and ruin a good friendship."

"Awwww." Sheppard said, sarcastically. "Well, they don't know that. One look at Chewey here and Huggins won't get ten feet near you."

Scowling, Jennifer shook her head. "No luck there. Lorne gave it away that we were just friends."

Looking at the clock, Ronon ate the last of his food. "Gotta run. I'm late for a training session."

As soon as Ronon stood up, Jennifer groaned. "I've been spotted." Panicking, she pleaded to John. "Help!"

"Hey, doctor Jen!" Huggins called over to her. Not really noticing Sheppard across from her, he walked over to the table. "I know for a fact, thanks to a few nurses over at the next table, that you're not on tonight in the infirmary. How about we grab a movie and some popcorn?"

Keller looked at him for a moment. Sheppard thought to himself that the poor woman looked like a panicked deer caught in a stream of headlights in the middle of the road. Forming an idea in his head, he decided to bail her out.

"Sorry, captain." Sheppard spoke, shocking both Jennifer and Captain Huggins. "The lady is spoken for tonight. We have a date."

Huggins eyes widened when he heard Sheppard speak. "Colonel! I'm sorry..." He sputtered. "I didn't realize that you were here.... and dating the doctor."

"Well, son." Sheppard, said, enjoying Jennifer's reaction and thrilled that Huggin's boisterous voice was carrying over to the next table. With a quick glance, he saw the looks of disappointment on the women's face. "It actually just happened today. It's our first date. Plan on taking Jen up to the observatory. Rodney said he would lend us some binoculars so we can take advantage of the clear night we'll have tonight."

Huggins began to back away from the table to rejoin his group. "Sorry, sir. Er... Dr. Keller."

Jennifer closed her mouth and watched him return to his table. Turning back to Sheppard, she finally spoke. "You... are a complete genius." She said, absolutely thrilled that she was off the hook.

Finishing up his food, Sheppard grinned. "I know. But now," he said, in a low conspiring voice. "We need to follow through on it if we're going to fool anyone. Are you really free tonight?"

Nodding, she picked up her tray and followed him out of the hall. "Yeah, I'm done at 5."

"Good. I'll pick you up around 6. Don't worry about food, I'll get it." Sheppard said, relieved that he may have dodged the ladies for awhile.

Jennifer glanced sideways at him, embarrassed to ask what was on her mind. "Look," she began, hesitantly. "We're agreeing just to do this for the sake of appearance... nothing else, right?"

"Absolutely." Sheppard understood where she was going. "I have absolutely no interest in anything more than being friends, know that for a fact, doc. No offense."

She grinned. "None taken." Jennifer headed down the opposite hall towards the infirmary. "Again, thanks."

"What?" Teyla and Ronon both said later on in the training room, looking at John like he lost his mind.

"I said," John grinned. "The doctor and I are going on a date tonight." He was enjoying their shock. Laughing, he gave in and let them in on the secret. "So we're really not going on a date. Just going through the motions for appearance sake."

Teyla frowned. "John, I don't think this is going to work." Looking at him seriously, she shook her head. "What happens next week, when this man, or this group of ladies for that matter, don't see you guys together as often?"

He shrugged. "We'll just have to make sure we're seen together. No big deal." Checking his watch, he stood. "Speaking of which, I need to go swing by the infirmary and flirt with the doctor a little before we go."

Ronon watched his friend leave. "This is going to be weird."

Teyla agreed. "I don't think the two of them have thought this out."


	2. Chapter 2

John entered the infirmary and was greeted by the still hopeful nurse from the next table. He nodded at her. "I'm here to see Dr. Keller."

She smiled. "Dr. Keller is with a patient right now. Why don't you take a seat and I can help you. Are you ill?"

"No. I needed to speak to Dr. Keller before our _date_ tonight."

Huffing, the nurse slapped down the chart she was holding. "Right. OK, let me see if she's wrapping up." The nurse headed over to the far corner of the room and peaked around a curtain. "Doctor, Colonel Sheppard is here to see you."

A few minutes later, Jennifer emerged from the curtain. "Sheppard. I mean, John. Sorry. What's up?" She took off her coat, beckoning John to follow to her office.

Sheppard reached around and held open the door for her, and made it a point to run his hand down her back to guide her through the door. Closing the door, he grinned. "How am I doing, sweetie?"

Jennifer threw back her head and laughed. "Great." She peered around John's head. "I'm getting glares from the new nurse and I think the rest of the staff are trying to figure out what's going on."

"See, easy stuff." John said. "Ronon and Teyla doesn't think it's going to work."

"Oh, please. This is a piece of cake. So, are you ready to go? I just need to change. I keep a set of clothes in the office and I'll just swing by the ladies room to change." Jennifer grabbed a hanger near John's head.

Sheppard agreed to meet her at his room in a few minutes after they left the infirmary while he changed as well. Opening the door for her, he grinned and grabbed her hand as they walked out of her office, noticing the whispers and glances they were getting.

Over the next few days, John's mood drastically changed from that first day. He was upbeat and genuinely happy. He no longer dreaded the cafeteria in fear of meeting up with the ladies he had been avoiding before coming up with this arrangement. Jennifer often met him for lunch and dinner when he was not on a mission. They fell into a nice groove.

Whistling a song, he opened the doors into the infirmary and glanced over Jennifer's office. Of course, she left dinner saying she just needed to catch up on a few reports and by the looks of her, forgot about their plans for the evening.

"Hey." John knocked at the door. "You're late."

Jennifer jumped and looked around, looking foolish. "Sorry. Lost track of time." She smiled. "So what are we doing tonight?"

Sheppard shook his head. "It's a surprise." He helped her gather her stuff, ignoring the lingering glances he was getting from the nurses. He ushered her out of the infirmary and let her make a quick stop to her room to change out of her uniform. He then led her down into another corridor and then to an empty room that had a laptop set up in front of a couch.

"Yes!" Jennifer whirled on him. "I never get to make movie night. What are we watching?"

Grinning at her enthusiasm, John joined her on the couch and set up the player. "Well, I actually got someone at the SGC to forward us an advanced copy of a new movie coming out back home. It's called _Avatar_."

"I knew there would be perks to dating you." Jennifer grinned.

Sheppard feigned insult. "Hey, now," he leaned over, messing up her hair. She laughed and squirmed away from him. "I have it on good authority that I'm the #1 bachelor here." He stopped teasing her and sat back down. "You should feel privileged." Not attempting to keep a straight face, he smirked at her.

Rolling her eyes, she punched him lightly on the arm. "Oh, get over yourself, fly boy."

They got settled and both put their legs up on the table, bringing the lap top on John's lap. Slouching on the couch, they were laughing like teenagers. "This," Jennifer said. "is the perfect way to end a long day."

Scooting more near him, she watched the opening credits roll by. They were memorized by the movie, both taken by the incredibly story and filming of the film.

During the movie, John's mind wandered a few times. Ronon and Teyla, who had been off world for the past few days, would find it strange he would enjoy the doctor's company so much. He mostly hung out with the both of them for training and with men from the military at meals or for movie nights. John felt the energy moving through him, and admitted that he had more fun hanging out with Jen than anyone else on Atlantis.

Afterward, Jennifer stretched. "That was awesome. I haven't seen a movie since I've been here, but that was unbelievable." She walked around the room, looking at the different views of Atlantis from the windows. "It's getting late, but I'm not really tired anymore."

"Good," John said. "It's too early for an end of a date anyway." He stretched on the couch, motioning for her to sit back down.

Jennifer looked around the room. "Any board games in here?" Searching and coming up empty, Sheppard held up his hands in defeat. Then he brightened.

"How about something I used to play back when I was stationed in the gulf? No dice or anything else required."

Intrigued, she sat down on the opposite side of the couch and flung her legs on the side of his. Now they were both facing each other, Jennifer sitting with her legs tucked under her and John's propped up on the back of the couch.

"Two truths and a lie." He began. "You tell me two truths and a lie and I have to pick out which is the lie."

Jennifer made a face. "I'm horrible at lying." Smiling, she thought.

"OK. Here it goes. I skipped three grades in school. I hate going off world. And..." she said, snickering. "I have a crush on Rodney McCay."

Snorting, John sat up straighter. "Not bad. Hmm... I can believe the skipping grades. I'm not sure if I can believe the off world part, since we're always rescuing your butt." Jennifer snickered. "Rodney, though? Oh God, I hope that's the lie. OK, that's my answer... Rodney."

"Correct!" She said, clapping.

"You really skipped three grades? How is that possible?" John asked.

She shrugged. "I'm a nerd," she laid back, stretching. "It's not as fabulous as it sounds, skipping grades. You get the teasing, the bullying... plus I graduated early, so all the fun high school stuff went on without me. Not including how no man wanted to date the nerdy pre-med teenager."

"Without risking sounding like I'm actually hitting on you for real..." He swatted at her knee. "You don't look like any nerd I've ever seen."

Jennifer smiled, but inwardly her heart fluttered. Did he just tell her she was pretty? "OK, your turn."

He leaned back, thinking for a few minutes. "Alright. I have a reputation for disobeying orders. I've never been married. And last but not least... I've witnessed some of the men saying a prayer before going on a mission with you."

"Hey!" Jennifer said, insulted. "Seriously? OK, that's easy. But it's something I didn't know. You were married?"

"Yup. Messed it up pretty good, too." Sheppard leaned back, closing his eyes. "It's never easy being married in the military and as if it wasn't hard enough, I can safely take the blame for everything that went wrong."

Jennifer leaned back, thinking aloud. "Doctors hours suck. Marriage is something I don't see in my future. Unless it's another doctor, it's hard to find someone who understands the sacrifices that need to be made." She brought all of her hair to the side and began finger combing it.

"So have there been any serious relationships?" Sheppard questioned, then regretting the question. Why were they getting so personal? But he found himself wondering and couldn't help himself.

She looked up, surprised at the question. "Just one. I thought it was serious, but obviously he didn't. It happened back in medical school."

John wondered if there was more to it, but decided to switch the subject. "OK, you're turn."

She continued to run her hands through her hair as she thought. He couldn't help smiling at her.

"Hmmm... well, I'm a huge fan of James Patterson books. I didn't expect to be the CMO of Atlantis. And I'm completely a nervous wreck on dates."

Swinging his legs back onto the table, John said "Easy. Last one is the lie. Come on, you need to think of something harder."

Laughing, she turned. "Wrong! Patterson is the lie."

"There's no way. Am I not a man? And are you not fully fine when you're with me?"

Jennifer sniffed. "You don't count."

Trying to wrap his head around the last comment, John came up clueless. "OK, up until now, I thought you were the most non-complicated woman in this city. You just ruined it for me. Please explain."

"It's simple. If there is a man who I think I have a chance with, then there's so much to think about. I get nervous and freak out. See, around you, I can relax because we both were up front on not having more than friendship. Look, I'm not even wearing make up."

Cursing God for making women so incredibly complicated, John looked up. "OK, so you're telling me that if we hadn't arranged all this, you would be like that with me right now."

She laughed. "We wouldn't even be here. Come on, be real. You're the cool kid. Captain Kirk. Every man wants to be you and every woman wants to be with you. I'm the dorky doctor who holes up in her room on Saturday nights with a bag of chips and a book. Yeah, skipping grades was nice but it left me a social mess. I don't make friends as easy as you. Everyone has always been weirded out by my young age. So in a sense, no, I wouldn't even be nervous even if we were just here randomly because I'm just not your type."

Discovering a vulnerable side to the doctor made him like her even more. "OK, doc, I think I'm going to have to give you a man lesson."

"A man lesson? This is going to be good. Wish I had my tape recorder to show the rest of womankind the secrets of your world."

"Hey, no sarcasm. I'm about to reveal to you secrets that very few women probably know." John paused for a dramatic effect and looked at her straight in the eye. "Number one. Men hate makeup. It makes us wonder what you're hiding under there. OK, sure, a night on the town deserves a little dramatic make up, whatever, but everyday, it makes us nervous. There's nothing grosser than kissing a woman with a ton of lipstick on... or when that goupy skin stuff... foundation, I think, rubs off on your shirt when they put their head on you. So, there's secret number one."

Capturing her attention, John smiled. "Number two. I don't know how you think I have a reputation as being a ladies man around here, but get this straight. I find, on a personal level, all women on this base, with the exceptions of you and Teyla, incredibly obnoxious when it comes to the man-women level. You, especially, are a breath of fresh air simply by not acting fake and being yourself. Heck, I'm finding out that I enjoy every second being with you this week. Even more than I enjoy fighting with Ronon or Teyla."

She processed this information. "Hmm... Well, John Sheppard, you certainly are different than I imagined, that's for sure."

"Sorry, sweetheart, I'm on a roll." John said, looking serious. "And lastly, if I was in the market and looking, I can honestly say that you would be my first choice."

She rolled her eyes. "Thanks for the confidence boost, but there's no way. No way whatsoever. It would be Teyla."

"Yeah, no. Sorry. Yes, she's gorgeous. Yes, she's a good friend. But there's something about knowing that a woman can kick your butt that's a little disconcerting. Sorry, I'm old fashioned like that. It makes me feel manly when my woman can't knock me out."

Sitting up straighter, Jennifer didn't know what to say.

"And by the way, doc." John continued. "You do realize you have a few men eying you quite often."

"Wow, that shut you up. Now I know how to get a little silence around here." He quipped. Holding out his hand, he tugged her up and began wrapping up the equipment. "Just don't tell anyone. I don't want to ruin my reputation for giving everything away."

Still silent, Jennifer helped push the furniture back into it's right place. "So if men really want women to be themselves, why are they so attracted to the blond bimbo Bambi types at the bars?"

"Because," he paused dramatically. "Some men want little substance and haven't grown up yet. You'll want to stay away from those men."

She snorted, feeling more comfortable that the conversation was getting back to normal... and off her. "Please. I've read the mission reports. And I talk to Teyla."

He shrugged. "Hey, those were all very high stressful situations. I wasn't thinking clearly."

"Hmph," she swatted at him again. "Since when do men think?"


	3. Chapter 3

Several days later, Teyla and Ronon walked towards John's room for movie night.

"It's been a long few days with these negotiations." Teyla sighed. "I'm glad to be back on Atlantis."

Ronon grunted. "Wonder what movie Sheppard picked out for tonight."

They opened the door to see John and Jennifer laughing, both sitting on John's bed with their backs to the wall.

"Hey guys!" John said. "Just in time!"

Teyla smiled at Jennifer. "Jennifer, glad you were able to make it tonight. Aren't you usually on shift around now?"

Jennifer nodded, smiling over at John. "John convinced me to switch shifts permanently so I can make it. I work the mornings and afternoon shifts mostly now, unless there's an emergency. We watched a movie while you were gone and now I know what I've been deprived of these last few months away from Earth."

Jennifer and John scooted over on the bed to accommodate Teyla. Ronon sprawled out on the floor against a chair while John began the movie.

The fell silent while the movie came on. John had picked an older western movie. Ronon and Teyla were hooked from the beginning. Jennifer, tired from the day, decided to shut her eyes for a few minutes.

John glanced down at Jennifer. She had fallen asleep just after the start of the movie. With a grin on his face, he adjusted her so that her head rested on his chest rather than the hard wall and wrapped an arm around her. Sighing, she snuggled closer.

"John?" Whispered Teyla. "Has something between you and Jennifer transpired while were gone?"

John flushed a bit, shaking his head. "Just friends, still." His actions betrayed his words, as he gently tugged a stray hair away from Jennifer's face. Teyla's eyes widened and had to compose herself before she let out a laugh.

The movie ended and both Teyla and Ronon moved to leave.

"Want me to carry her back to her room?" Ronon asked, confused at why Jennifer was half sprawled over his friend.

"No, let her sleep." Sheppard said. "She's had a long day. I'll lay and read a few reports I've been putting off for a while and then bring her down myself."

They left, leaving John to reach over and grab the stack of reports. Thumbing through them, he was halfway into Lorne's team's last mission when Jennifer began to mumble in her sleep. Leaning, he tried to figure out what she was saying at the same time that she moved closer to his head. Before he knew what was happening, their lips met. Her lips were soft, tasting faintly like strawberries from the lip gloss he frequently watched her put on. Groaning, he couldn't help but continue the kiss despite of the warning bells ringing in his head.

Jennifer's eyes flew open at the contact. Seeing John, she sighed and resumed the kiss while John's hands cradled her head. For a few moments longer, they were both lost in each others arms. John cupped her face and then ran his hands through her hair to pull her deeper into the kiss.

All at once, they both came to their senses. Jennifer shot straight up while Sheppard jumped off the bed.

"What just happened?" John asked, grabbing a fist full of his hair.

Jennifer's eyes were wide open. "Oh my God. This is not happening. This did not just happen. How did this happen?"

John began to pace the room. "It wasn't my fault! You leaned, I leaned. And then... well, then it happened." He stopped. "OK. Hold on. Just don't panic. We can fix this."

"Fix this?" Jennifer yelped, grabbing her stuff. "John, I hate to tell you this, but there's not an antidote back in my medicine storage cabinet that will magically erase what just happened."

"Wait." He grabbed her hand. "Calm down." He took a deep breath. "Look, it was a kiss. Not a big deal." He glanced away, hoping his lack of eye contact wouldn't give away how much the kiss had rattled him. "Friends kiss."

Still dazed from sleep, Jennifer tried rubbing her eyes, hoping this was all a bad dream. Opening them, she groaned. "Umm... not sure what kinds of friends you have had, but that was a little more than a friendly kiss." Jennifer said, opening the door. "Look, you're right. Just chalk it up to being tired, caught up in the moment, whatever. Nothing needs to change."

John moved to the door to walk her out. "Everything will be fine in the morning." Still not thinking clearly, he gazed down the hallway to see a few members of Lorne's team loitering in the hallway. Taking advantage of her dazed state and not willing to fight the urge to kiss her again, he muttered "It's not morning yet." He tugged her back to him and kissed her deeply, his heart racing in his chest.

Jennifer thought about pulling back, but the moment their lips met she lost all sense of control. John continued to kiss her even when he full well knew the men had passed the room. When he ended the kiss, she looked up, confused. She looked incredibly beautiful, with her hair mussed up and lips slightly tender from the kiss.

"I don't think anyone would believe that you would walk out of my room in the middle of the night with a friendly handshake," he nodded towards the men. When he looked back at her, he was surprised to see the hurt look on her face.

"Right. OK, I think I need to leave now." Jennifer turned to go back to her own room.

Sheppard shut the door and leaned back on it. Shaking his head, he replayed the events in his head and wondered what came over him. Jennifer was far from the normal woman he was usually attracted to. But when he came to the realization that his feelings towards her were transforming from friends to attraction, he pushed it out of his mind.

He fell down onto the bed. He regretted burying his face in the pillow as he was surrounded in the smell of her shampoo, now familiar to him. Groaning, he realized it was going to be a long night.

Jennifer ran from Sheppard's room to find Teyla. Jogging to her room, she pounded and entered when she heard Teyla's voice.

Teyla observed the young doctor as she flew into the room and shut the door. Her hair was tangled, face flushed, and eyes wide with panic. Concerned, Teyla pulled Jennifer over to a chair and sat her down.

"Jennifer, what ever is wrong?"

Jennifer caught her breath. "He... well, he kissed me."

"Who?" Teyla demanded.

"John." Jennifer began to pace.

Teyla's eyebrows shot up. Trying not to smile, she looked down. "And it was bad?"

Face flaming, Jennifer shook her head. "No. It was incredible. Well, the first time was. The second one-"

"Second time?" Teyla interrupted.

"Yeah, the second time he just did it for show. A few people were passing the room and we were in the doorway."

Teyla, seeing the doctor wasn't hurt but just confused, relaxed and walked over to her bed. "You know that for sure? Did it seem different than the first?" Teyla asked, curious if the doctor realized the same thing Ronon and she did a few hours ago.

"No." Jennifer began to pace. "That man can kiss." She looked back at her friend. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We had the perfect set up. Just hang out as friends and make people think there was more to it. But we've been together almost every day since this whole thing started. I don't know what happened tonight. One minute I'm sleeping next to him on the bed, and then next thing I know we're making out!"

Meanwhile, John was having the same conversation with Ronon in the training room after giving up on any sleep tonight. Despite being late, Ronon had the habit of working out before turning in for the night.

"And then I kissed her." John said, laying down with his head propped up against a stack of mats.

Amused, Ronon stopped punching the bag. "Yeah. So, how was it?"

"Why are you not as shocked as I am?" John asked.

Not saying anything for a minute, Ronon turned to him. "What did Jen say?"

"Nothing at first. I mean, we were kissing." John muttered, thinking back. "Then she about flew out of the bed. So did I. And then before she left, I kissed her again."

"Again?" Ronon asked, impressed. "So are you guys together now?

"God, no." John said. "It was all an accident... but the second time was on purpose... there were men in the hall."

Shaking his head, Ronon felt the urge to knock some sense into him. It was obvious that the two, however innocently enough, were quickly moving towards becoming more than friends.

Deciding to make things more interesting, Ronon turned his back to his friend. "Jen and I almost kissed. During the quarantine."

"What?"

"Yeah... but then the lights turned on."

John narrowed his eyes. "So nothing happened then?"

"Well..." Ronon said, slyly. "Jen's really shy. We flirted a bit. Talked."

Agitated, John jumped up. "But then you guys decided to be just friends, then?"

"Yeah," Ronon said. "Just like you guys are." Turning so Sheppard didn't see him grin, he watched as John left the room, muttering a goodbye.

Just as John turned the corner, he ran smack into someone barreling down the corridor.

"Sorry, I--" he began, then stopped short. "Jen? Sorry. I wasn't paying attention."

Muttering about her bad luck, she straightened her hair that had fallen around her face. "My fault too." They both stared awkwardly at each other.

A few more awkward moments went by. Several security members making rounds passed, giving them both a chance to group their thoughts together.

"OK, this is silly." Jen started out. "We're both adults. We've gotten to be good friends," she reasoned. Taking a deep breath, she looked at him. "It wasn't a big deal."

He almost argued with her, but decided against it. "You're right. No biggie." John smiled. "Tomorrow, we'll forget it even happened."

She nodded. "Right. But I think we need to avoid a few things in case it happens again."

"Like not laying in bed together alone in my room?" Sheppard grinned, enjoying her blush. He couldn't help teasing her. _God, what is wrong with me?_

"Yeah, exactly." Jen said, approvingly. "Let's stick with just being seen in the cafeteria and infirmary together until we everyone off our back. Soon, they'll forget about us and date others. Then we can tell everyone we called it quits, saying we just want to stick with being friends."

John thought it sounded suspiciously like what they were doing right now. Why did he feel like he was breaking up with her? This wasn't real, but it sure was getting confusing.

Turning to walk her back to her quarters, he stopped where their hallways split. Rethinking, he decided not to take her all the way back to her room to avoid the temptation of kissing her again.

"Well, I better go get some sleep," Jen said, trailing off.

"Right." He said. "Night." He turned, not wanting to talk anymore, and headed to his room.


	4. Chapter 4

Woolsey radioed Sheppard the next day. "Come in, Col. Sheppard."

Sheppard cursed the stupid radio. He had been headed towards the infirmary to smooth things over with Jennifer. Turning back towards the control room, he agreed to meet Woolsey.

They both walked into a conference room. Woolsey gave the best impression of a smile John had seen on the man. "John. How are things going?"

Confused, John narrowed his eyes. "Great." "Why?" Not sure where this was going, Sheppard tried to focus despite the little sleep he had got last night.

"Relax, colonel." Woolsey said, and actually laughed. "I've decided that since my term here, I haven't had the chance to enjoy Atlantis and fellowship with others much."

Sheppard waited for him to continue.

"This morning I asked one of the new botanist's to dinner. A private dinner." Woolsey said. "The thing was, she was a bit nervous, with me being her boss indirectly and all. So I suggested a double then, I got to thinking and decided to invite every department ranking officers plus a date for each."

Dropping his jaw, John tried to think of what to say. Woolsey on a date? This was going down in the record books.

"How would you and Dr. Keller like to join us?" Woolsey asked while John took a sip of his coffee.

Almost spraying it over the table, John began to couch. Patting his back across the table, Woolsey looked surprised. "Colonel, calm down. You're not in trouble or anything. There are no regulations against military dating nonmilitary."

"Yeah, that's good." John lied, not mentioning he wasn't rattled by the knowledge that Woolsey had heard about him and Jen. It was more of the double date plus more couples thing.

"Then you'll join us? I just checked with Dr. Keller and she said she's available. The cook agreed to make something special and will send a staff member to the balcony on the south tower to set up. Let's make this special and make it formal. Wear your dress blues."

Somehow John refocused on Woolsey. "Yeah. Dress blues. OK. What time?"

"Let's make it 6. I have a surprise for the girls afterward." Woolsey stood up and made his way out of the room.

John just sat there. "Somehow, that just scares me."

They ate lunch together, however awkward it was for both of them. They both pretended, unsuccessfully, that nothing happened the night before. But the tension between the both of them was obvious even to McCay, who chose to sit by them. They listened to him mutter about going to a stupid dinner when he could be working on his latest find off world.

"So," he said, looking up for the first time. "What's going on with you both? Lover's quarrel?"

They both glared at him. "Mind your own business, McKay," Sheppard said.

"Sorry," McKay said, but not meaning it. "It's just that I'd finally gotten used to all the flirting and gooey eyes going on between the both of you."

Jennifer stopped twirled the piece of pasta on her fork. Had they really done that around McKay? Funny, she thought. She didn't remember doing that. Getting up, she gave up on her bad appetite. "I better go see if anyone has a dress they can lend me."

She made her way to the infirmary.

"Did you find something?" Jennifer jumped out of her chair in the infirmary as Teyla approached. Seeing something in her arms, Jennifer sucked her breath in.

"I was able to find one of the newer scientists who smuggled this into her luggage. It seems she has a crush on Dr. McKay and hoped it would come in handy." Teyla held up the dress to Jennifer's body and eyed it critically. "Yes, I think this will do."

Grateful, but a little disappointed it wasn't a nice pant suit, Jennifer glanced down at the dress. "Yikes, this is so not my style."

Smirking, Teyla looked at the doctor. "Now, now, what does Dr. McKay always say? Beggars can't be choosy, right?"

Nodding, Jennifer grabbed the dress. "Thank you, Teyla. Now, I better get dressed if I'm going to do something with my hair."

Just then, another female doctor walked in. "Have no fear, Jen, I come bearing gifts. Come on, let's get you ready." Nancy, whom Jennifer began to get a little closer with lately, walked in with a box of hot rollers. "These bad boys operate on batteries. And don't ask how I got them into my luggage."

A few hours later, Jennifer emerged from her bathroom back in her room. Teyla and Nancy sucked in their breath when they saw their young friend in the dress.

"Oh my goodness. Girlfriend, you are going to kill it tonight!" Nancy exclaimed.

Teyla looked at Nancy, confused at the Earth jargon. Smiling at Jennifer, she raised her eyebrows. "And will definitely shock a certain colonel, more than likely."

The women had worked on Jennifer's hair for nearly an hour. Every piece was curled and strategically placed in a cascade of curls around Jennifer's neck. Her dress was black, made of velvet and fit her perfectly. The neckline had a plunging V- shaped and spaghetti strings held it up and cross-crossed down her back to connect near her waist. The rest of the back was bare, revealing creamy white skin. If the top and back were not daring enough, there was also a slit up the side of the dress that was revealed when she walked that reached mid-thigh.

Luckily, the woman who owned the dress included a pair of high heeled strappy sandals as well as dangly diamond earrings as well as a black diamond chunky bracelet.

Jennifer fidgeted, eying herself in the full length mirror they confiscated from the one of the bathrooms. "Wow. I'm not sure the person looking at me in the mirror is actually me."

Just then, a knock sounded at the door. Squealing, Nancy quickly dabbed a small amount of perfume on Jennifer's wrists, instructed her to rub them on her neck, and kissed her on her cheek.

"You look incredibly, sweetie." Nancy said. "I hope you have a good time. You deserve this."

Teyla, nodding at Nancy's approval, opened the door.

"Teyla," John said, surprised. "I wasn't expecting to see you." John peeked in the doorway, looking for Jennifer. He was dressed in his Air Force Dress Uniform, which made the colonel look even more handsome. The dress coat had three buttons with silver pins on the lapels.

Surprised to find his hands wet, John realized he was nervous. _Seriously, what are you thinking? That this is prom and you're 17 again? _Wiping them dry on his pants, he stopped dead in his tracts.

John watched Jennifer walk from the corner of the room and literally felt his heart stop beating. Shocked beyond words, he couldn't keep his eyes off of her.

"Jen?" He asked, raking his eyes over her. John was embarrassed, but he couldn't even acknowledge the other women in the room. Suppressing their laughter, they both inched around him by the door and left the couple alone.

Finally, Jennifer spoke. "Yeah, I'm in here somewhere. The girls had fun getting me ready." Twisting her hands, she shrugged her shoulders. "Truth is, I'm a nervous wreck in this dress. I've never worn anything like it, especially in front of people who I work with. Do you think it's OK? Not like I have another choice or anything..." Jennifer rambled, finding it hard to not stare at him in his uniform.

He walked over to her. "You look amazing." He realized they were both nervous. It was a little awkward, especially that this was the first time they were alone together since the kissing incident... incidents, he corrected himself. Trying to drag his eyes away, he motioned for her to enter the doorway.

"Ladies first." He bowed. Sheppard watched her leave and took in the back of her dress, fully aware of the bare skin the dress failed to cover, as well as the long length of leg poking out of the side. His heart about skipped a beat. And then, she turned in the hallway, waiting for him. Startled, he realized he was staring and followed her. _Keep it together, man._

They began walking to the area where dinner would be. John was silent the entire time, looking slightly agitated. Jennifer began to get nervous as they knocked on Woolsey's door.

"Do I look OK? Or do I look like someone you would pick up on a corner?"

Sheppard stopped. "Corner? What? No. Hardly." Avoiding her eyes, his gaze ran up the length of her for the thousandth time since they met that evening.

"Are you sure?"

Shutting his eyes, he rubbed his face. "Are you seriously trying to press my limits here, Jen?" Confused, she began to talk but he cut her off. "Look, last night was fluke. I think. But today... Jen, even though we are friends, you need to realize I'm a guy. And guy's are visual, right? Remember all that stuff I told you that night?" She nodded, eyes growing rounder. "OK, add this to the list. If you ever are in the market to stop a man's beating heart, just wear that dress."

"Dr. Keller! John." Woolsey met them at the door to his suite, one of the perks of being the commander of Atlantis. He greeted each of them with a smile. "Glad you could both make it!"

Sheppard glanced at the surroundings, taking in everyone who was already there. Lorne with a botanist. Cadman, glaring at the same botanist on Lorne's arm and looking bored to death with her date, noticed Sheppard and nodded. Everyone but them had drinks in their hands, talking with one another. Jennifer beckoned him over to Lorne and his date, where they settled in with idle chatter until dinner was served.

The meal went slow, with the kitchen staff serving creative dishes that would normally not be found in the mess hall. Chicken Parmesan, local vegetables from one of their trading allies, and dessert was chocolate mousse.

"Attention, everyone." Woolsey stood, smiling down at everyone. "I just wanted to thank you all for coming. It is not often I have the chance to enjoy the wonderful people who live on Atlantis. And now..." He paused for dramatic effect. "I thought it would be fun to play some music after dinner. And I will encourage you all to join me and my beautiful date by dancing."

Stiffening, John glanced at Jennifer. Expecting her to not be interested, she looked at him hopefully. "Could we?" She pleaded. "I've only been to one wedding in my life, and obviously I missed out on prom."

Nodding, John led the way to the "dance floor" which consisted of an open area near the CD player, but the entire time wondered how he was going to dance with Jennifer without coming into contact with her bare skin. Was she seriously trying to kill him? Shouldn't this be something to avoid along with movie nights alone in his room? On edge, he ground his teeth. Taking her right hand and barely touching her waist, he began leading her around the dance floor to Etta James' "At Last."

Jennifer, wondering why she talked him into dancing when she was struggling not to feel anything towards him, couldn't help relishing the moments he held her in his arms. _No, no no! She protested in her mind. You said you would only think of him as a friend, and look! You're a mess over him!_

The moment the song had ended, John released her, muttering something about a drink. Not knowing what to do, she turned to walk away from the other couples when she felt a tap on her shoulder.

"Need a dance partner?" Huggins asked, hopeful. She had seen him slip in with one of the scientists but was too distracted by Sheppard's words back there.

Jennifer tried to smile, but distracted by the glare she was receiving from John who was in the corner, nursing a drink. Pointedly glaring back and irritated that he couldn't dance with her for more than one dance, she turned to Huggins. "I would love to, major."

Huggins was not as careful with Jennifer as John was... pulling her a little closer that John had, his hand kept grazing the bare skin from her back. She kept in conversation with him and moved across the floor, but felt nothing at being in the arms of the handsome man.

"Cutting in, major." Sheppard bit out, whisking Jennifer to the other side of the room, this time holding her closer and more possessively. Looking back at Huggins, he saw the man crestfallen and watching them. "He's still got a thing for you."

She shrugged. "He was nice. And didn't mind dancing with me," she retorted.

Sheppard snorted. "Are you trying to make me jealous with the guy you were trying to avoid in the first place?"

Blushing, she turned away. "I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I can't keep anything straight in my head."

Both of them felt the underlying tension between them. "Look" they both said at the same time, then laughed, releasing some of the tension. Jennifer relaxed and ran her hand higher up his arm, setting her head on his chest.

"I don't want anything to change what we had going." Sheppard whispered into her ear, feeling her nod. "But something happened last night and I can't - I just can't stop thinking about it, Jen."

Lifting her head, she looked at him. "So what do we do? Being the smart people we are at avoiding relationships, we ruined a friendship by falling into the trap we tried to avoid."

John swayed her back and forth. "I just know that I'm having so much fun being around you. I don't want to lose that."

"John, maybe it's all in our heads. I mean," Jen began. "Last night, it was just a bad timing thing. And today... face it, it took my friends over an hour to get me to look this way. It all goes back to normal tomorrow."

Turning her into a secluded corner of the room, he shook his head. "Hate to break it to you, but on my end it's been going on since we started this whole thing. Whether I admitted it to myself or not… and it didn't matter if you were in sweaty wrinkled scrubs or in that old ratty college sweatshirt you wore a few nights ago, you've been driving me nuts."

She felt a surge of adrenalin run through her heart. "I just can't believe this is happening," she said.

Pulling her tighter in his embrace, he glared at a few marines who hadn't been subtle about eying the woman in his arms all night.

"I'm going to kill them all tomorrow," he muttered. "Ronon can help."

Leaning back confused, she was embarrassed that her lips were inches away from his. "What?" She said, distractedly.

"Nothing," he answered, leaning down to take advantage of her confused look and wanting the men to see who Jennifer belonged to. Softly brushing her lips with a kiss, he teased them for a moment before deepening the kiss. Her fingers tightened on the back of his coat. "I think it's time we made our leave."

Nodding in agreement, she reluctantly let go of him even though she didn't want to. What she wanted was for him to not stop kissing her. Quickly finding her purse, they made their way through the room to make their goodbyes. Finally reaching the door, they both calmly walked together silently until the got into the transporter. John, while walking, pulled off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt, acting as if it was strangling him. As soon as the doors closed, John yanked her into his arms and quickly descended on her mouth. Gasping, she was shocked at the quick change in him but met his lips eagerly. His hands roamed over her back, something he had desperately tried to avoid while dancing with her.

His lips moved across her face and to her neck. Jennifer felt herself back up against the wall, fisting his unruly hair into her hands. Her knees began to buckle as he continued his attack on her collarbone. John had not shaved for the occasion, and she felt his rough 12 hour beard against her skin. Excitement ripped through her and she ran her hands over his shoulders.

When the doors opened, they barely registered hearing the gasps coming from the door. Opening her eyes, she squealed when she saw both Teyla and Ronon gaping at them from outside the door. Pushing John away, she smoothed her dress out and stepped away from him, breathing heavily.

"Good evening, John." Teyla began, amused. "Jennifer. Have a nice time at the party?"

John's vision had cleared and he glared at them both for the interruption. "It was lovely." Guiding Jennifer out of the transporter and allowing both Teyla and Ronon to pass, he barely spared them a look. "Good night."

Feeling her common sense flooding back into her brain, Jennifer stopped keeping up with John's face pace. "Wait. John. Hey!" She shouted when he kept walking.

Confused, John stopped. "Sorry. I'm not thinking very straight." He walked back to her, noticing she looked uncertain. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" Jen began. "This. We're both not thinking straight." She sighed and walked over to a bench. "John, what are we doing?"

Brain cells returning to his head, he walked over to her. "I went too fast." Kneeling in front of her and placing his hands on her covered knees, he pushed her hair out of her face. "Jen, I'm sorry. I just can't think straight anymore near you."

Tears welled up in her eyes. "I'm just as much as fault as you are. But I don't know if this is what I want." She pushed his hands aside and got up to walk. "This isn't me. I don't just do things like this. Especially this. No man has ever kissed me the way you just did."

Finding pleasure in what she was saying, he turned and sat on the bench, taking her spot she had just vacated. "Look, we went too fast. Let's just slow things-"

"No," she firmly said. "John, think back to the past few relationships you have had lately. There was heat, acting upon your attraction, and then the women were out of your life. I'm not like that. John, I'll still be here tomorrow. And what happens then?"

He started to protest but she interrupted him again.

"We both even said this was exactly what we have been avoiding." She walked until she reached the wall and leaned back against it. "We can't do this."

Covering his face and rubbing his eyes, he couldn't pretend that he wasn't angry. "Look, those were two very odd situations. You're making me sound shallow."

Shaking her head, she pushed on. "John, I don't want this. And I don't want a relationship. But when I do, I want... John, I want forever. Something deeper than what we're doing right now."

Cut to the bone, he blanched. "Jen, look, I didn't mean for this to seem so artificial. It both snuck up on us. Truth is, I've never felt anything like this with anyone... including my ex-wife."

Not listening, or trying not to, she felt tears falling on her face. "Tomorrow, John. It all goes back to how it was before. We can say that we both felt it wasn't going anywhere and we're both still friends."

Angry, he stood up. "I find it hard to believe anyone will buy that after how we were acting back at Woolsey's. But if that's what you want. Fine. Good-bye, Jen." He started down the hallway, barely glancing back. Stopping a few feet away, he looked at her. "It was real for me. Maybe not at first, but it didn't take long." Turning, he left her.

Sinking back into the bench, Jennifer leaned back and let the tears continue falling.


	5. Chapter 5

The next two days dragged by. They stopped eating together. Jennifer even offered to switch swifts with another doctor temporarily. People who knew them quickly figured out they had a falling out. Except for Ronon and Teyla, who knew the situation better than anyone.

Sitting down at her desk in her office, Jennifer ate the sandwich she had a nurse bring back for her in the cafeteria. Catching up on reports and boring paperwork, she stayed longer after her shift had ended, reasoning that she had a lot to catch up on.

A knock sounded at her door. Sighing, she put down her sandwich only to stand quickly to open the door once she realized Woolsey was on the other side.

"Sir, sorry." She quickly opened the door. "Just catching up on a few items."

Woolsey noticed the haggard look about the doctor. Unfortunately, the man he had just spoken with looked even worse. Slightly regretting the rule that staff members could date while on Atlantis, he hoped this wouldn't affect the next mission.

All business, he sat down in a chair across from hers. "Dr. Keller, I'm sorry to interrupt your dinner. But this can't wait."

Sitting down, she pushed aside her plate. "What's going on?"

"An SGA team just got back. It turns out we may have introduced a flu strain to their population last month and they have really sick people. Sheppard's team, minus Rodney since he's out with the flu, have agreed to leave first thing in the morning. I asked his team because we also had reports of a very hostile settlement just north of this village and you may run into a few of their people Would you be willing to help?"

A guarded look passed her face, but quickly returned to normal. _Professionalism, Jennifer._ "Absolutely. What time should I report to the gate room?"

Woolsey stood up, happy at the doctor's ability to push past her personal problems. "Sheppard wants to leave at 0700."

Nodding, she let him out.

Sheppard watched Jennifer descend the stairs, looking like she was rechecking her bag on the way that she probably had triple checked all morning. Nodding to her once she met his eyes, he looked back at Ronon. "Ready?"

Ronon grunted. He hated seeing two of his closest friends miserable. As the worm hole opened, he recounted eating with John in the morning before prepping for the mission. John refused to talk to him about it and silently the men ate in silence.

Jennifer began to regret going on the mission. It would be awkward. And uncomfortable. But she had a job and a moral duty to the villagers whom Atlantis may have infected. She walked through the worm hole, flanked by the two men, and hoped it wouldn't be long mission.

Once through, the three walked in silence. She knew both Ronan and John were on the look out for the men they had been warned about. Each of them were constantly scanning the tree lines. After about an hour of walking, and utter silence, they came to the village as described by the team reporting of the outbreak.

A man greeted them and Sheppard introduced him to Jennifer. Grabbing her supplies, she followed the man to a hut where he said several villagers had been staying. One elderly man had passed on two days ago, he reported, and several more younger women looked like they were not recovering.

Jennifer went from patient to patient, giving the caretakers basic instructions on how to care for the flu. She reached into her bag and pulled out medication, passing it out and giving more instructions. Turning towards the men, she nodded.

"I've told everyone how to help those who have fallen ill, but there's still the case of the others in the village. The flu spreads quickly, but we have medicine to prevent those who do not have it yet from contracting it. I brought enough for everyone, and both Colonel Sheppard and Ronon have been trained on how to give the injection. If you can gather everyone, we can begin inoculating them at once."

The line of about thirty villagers steadily passed through. Within an hour, they were done. Packing up, Jennifer gathered her stuff with the help of Ronon.

"One second, Jennifer." Ronon said, motioning to a hut nearby. "There's one other patient that needs you."

She walked over and Ronon opened the door for her. It was dark when she went in, but her eyes quickly adjusted and find the hut empty except for John inside. Turning to Ronon with a confused look on her face, she felt the door slam and heard a faint chuckling.

"Listen up, you two." Ronon said loudly through the door. "We're not leaving until you sort things out. I'm barring the door. Let me know when you've made up."

John swore and pounded on the door. Although the huts looks flimsy, the walls were built quite strong. Muttering about idiot friends, he sat down, fuming.

Not believing what was happening, Jennifer dropped her bag and sat on the floor. "I'm going to kill him," she said. "Just wait until he sees the size of the needle I stitch him with next time."

Grunting, John couldn't help but chuckle. Looking at her, he scooted over slightly. "Look," he began. "I'm sorry about everything. I'm sorry for coming up with this crazy no brained idea in the first place. For kissing you. For everything that's gone in my mind since kissing you. And for anything stupid I'm hoping I won't say right now."

She smiled. "That was a long apology." Jennifer leaned back and sighed. "No, it's not just your fault. We both made a mess of this."

Choosing his words carefully, he said "So, can we at least go back to being friends?" It pained him to ask that. He wanted more. Much more. But he knew for a fact she wasn't ready for that. And he wasn't sure he was either, if he was honest with himself.

She half smiled. "I guess it's the only choice we have."

Frowning, he took her hand. "No, there's another one. One I want to happen."

Hesitant, she pulled away from him. "John, I'm not sure what I want. We walked in to this not wanting to be in a relationship with anyone. Now you have me confused."

Feeling like he needed to give her space, he walked over to her but stopped short of lacing his fingers again with the hand. "I'm telling you this." Reaching to pull her chin up, he waited until her eyes locked with his. "No one has ever made me feel the way you do. One minute I'm enjoying laughing through a movie with you, and then the next I can't keep my hands off of you." She blinked, shocked he was expressing his feelings this way. "At the end of the day, I couldn't wait for our dates just to talk with you. And at night..." he paused, slightly looking embarrassed. "I would replay our conversations in my head and laugh about something you said or that had happened in the infirmary that day."

He felt her begin to realize how much she meant to him. "Jen, I'm not asking you to make a decision right now. But will you promise to think about it? Think about us?"

Nodding, she couldn't even speak. No one had ever told her so meant so much to them. Maybe her father, but never another man.

Getting up, she called out to Ronon. Within seconds, the door flew open and Jennifer was roughly pulled through the doorway. She screamed out for John, panicking at the men who were on the other side.

"Hey!" John yelled, protesting. However, it was cut short with something flew into the hut. Looking at the strange needle sticking into his arm, he only made it one step before he collapsed.

Unexpectedly dragged across the village, Jennifer tried to take in her surroundings to figure out what was going on. She saw all the villagers laying on the ground, but getting a close look at one, she saw the man breathing. They all had darts sticking out of their bodies. _They must be tranquilized with something. But what about Ronon?_ The answer came quickly when she looked back and saw several sticking out of the Satedan's back.

The man dragging her was dressed crudely in battle gear. His legs were matted with mud. The leather covering his torso also had battle armor over it, which was very tattered and worn. He threw her onto a horse and instructed the man on the horse already to take her back to their leader.

Trying not to get hysterical, she mentally tried to keep track of which direction they were taking her in case she had to fend for herself and escape. She also took a self inventory of any weapons she may have on her at the time. Other than a knife she had in her boot, which Ronon had barely trained her on yet, she didn't have much.

They had not gone too far when the horse stopped. The man that was holding her roughly put her down, only to have another man shove her towards a hut. A man opened the door, looking as big if not bigger than Ronon, and advanced towards her.

"So, you have brought the woman back." The man, dressed similar to those who had kidnapped her, had dark black eyes. His face was badly pot marked, probably from many battles, with several scars across his features. Roughly, he grabbed her chin and pulled her head up so that he could look into her eyes. She whimpered, but caught herself and clamped her mouth shut, not wanting to show any weakness that she was already feeling inside. He laughed at her attempt to not look scared and began circling her, taking in every inch of her. When he moved to touch her, she slapped away his hand.

Insulted, he whipped his fist and backhanded her across the face. She flew into the air and landed hard on the ground. Grabbing her hair, he pulled her up with it. Holding her roughly at the arms, he slapped her once more. Looking back at the men, he threw her roughly into a nearby hut, where stacks of pans had been piling up. She gasped in pain as sharp items dug into her skin.

"The face is impressive, but the rest of her is not. I do not want her." He turned his back to her, grinning at the men. "You have worked hard to get her. Any of you three may take her."

The men broke into smiles, sneering at Jennifer. Shrinking back, her heart about leaped out of her chest. There was no hope that Ronon or John would get to her in time. She had to think. One mad boldly yanked her against him and pulled her face to his mouth. Grabbing her roughly, he move towards a hut as the others cheered him on. Panicking, she began to fight him but nothing would stop the large man.

"Hault!" A man that hadn't been present before came forward. He was dressed similar to the other men but was cleaner. His face, taking in the dirt, blood, and grime on Jennifer's face, looked away, disgusted.

"Father, I will take her." He walked towards the man holding Jennifer and without protest the man released her. Confused but temporarily grateful, Jennifer shrank away from both men.

The leader who had previously discarded Jennifer looked surprised and then narrowed his gaze at his son. "Gardon." He looked like he was angry with his son. "You have proven to be weak. Not participating in orders I give to the others. You have no respect for me. For the village."

Gardon shook his head. "You are right. And I plan to rectify that tonight." He nodded towards Jennifer. "Give me the girl. We will marry and I will take a place beside you like you have wished for years."

A surprised look passed the father's face. "Very well." He gazed back towards Jennifer, pleased with his son. "Get a girl to clean her up and ready, immediately. The ceremony will take place at dusk."

Bowing to his father, he guided Jennifer up the hill to a larger hut and held the door open for her. Warily, she walked in. Once inside, she pretended to fall down, only to grab the knife in her boot. As Gardon moved towards her to see what was wrong, she stood up with a wild look on her face.

"Stay back," she cried. "Don't get any closer."

Hands held up high, Gardon moved back from her. "Wait. Just listen to me." He watched her sway from the pain she was in. Her eye was rapidly swelling from the beating she had taken by his father. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I didn't get back to stop him in time."

Still on her guard, she saw the kindness and remorse in his eyes. Dropping the knife slightly, she looked at him. She wanted to curl up in a ball and cry from the pain. Her head was about to explode, she could barely see out of one eye. Her cheek on the side he had slapped her felt like it was boiling hot and stung. Whimpering, she gave in and lowered the knife.

"What is your name?" He asked, kindly.

Her vision swam in front of her. Forcing herself to hold it together, she held her head straight. "Jennifer."

"OK, Jennifer. You look like you're in a lot of pain. There's a bowl of cold water just to your side and cloth. It will feel good on your face."

Looking in the direction he motioned to, she nodded but didn't walk towards it.

"Will you let me help you?" he asked.

Cursing her weakness, she fell down on the bed. She heard him walk over and ring the cloth out. He sat next to her and gently began getting the dirt off her face. Ringing it out again, he motioned for her to lay down and then placed the cloth against her cheek. Instantly feeling better, she gazed up at him, warily. "How come you're not mean like him?"

A pained expression passed Gardon's face. "My father hasn't been right since my mother died. Our people have suffered from it. He has made the men do incredible things... unforgivable. Many have left, many have been killed needlessly."

She moved the damp cloth to another place where her face felt on fire. "So why do you stay?"

He sighed. "I was planning on leaving tonight." Hearing a knock, he went to the door.

"Gardon, it is I." A soft, female voice spoke. He opened the door and a beautiful girl with an old rag covering her hair walked in. Taking off the rag, she smiled up at him. Seeing Gardon smile for the first time, Jennifer was surprised when he gathered the girl in his arms and softly kissed her lips. The girl looked up at him, adoringly, and then turned to face Jennifer.

"Well," Jennifer began, through her pain. "How do you like that? We're not even married yet."

Gardon laughed. "Sorry." He pushed the girl forward gently. "This is Sabrina. My betrothed. My real betrothed." Gardon kissed her temple, grinning.

The girl knelt in front of Jennifer, taking in her battered face. Wincing, she took the cloth from Jennifer and soaked it again it in the water bowl.

"Your father's temper is legendary, Gardon." Sabrina gently rubbed away the remaining dirt. Taking a salve from her skirt, she gently rubbed it onto Jennifer's face in the areas it was the reddest. Feeling the coolness immediately, Jennifer sighed. "Never mind. Marry her. Whatever she just put on me is a miracle drug. She's a genius."

Gardon smiled. "She's a healer. Just like you, correct?"

Surprised that he knew about her profession, she looked up at him. "How did you know?"

"It was the reason you were taken. My father's men are constantly getting injured and they always need attention... in more ways than one, which you just almost experienced." Seeing her shudder, he walked away. "Well, the first was that you were beautiful and my father is looking for a new wife... to continue the lineage since I have disgraced him many a time. You were to produce a male heir within a year or he would have you killed."

Choking, she sat up only to have the room spin in front of her. Displeased, the girl reprimanded her and guided her back down.

"So when I slapped his hands away-" she began.

Gardon chuckled. "You couldn't have insulted him more any other way. He immediately made you an example, regained respect from the men, and then caste you aside like you meant nothing to him."

She felt Sabrina's hands running on her arms and legs, checking for any other injuries. "I'm fine. Other than a splitting headache and a need of a good facial wrap to take care of the swelling. No breaks, promise, doc."

Sabrina stood up. "Your father instructed me to bring the marriage gown. I'll need to make a few adjustments since she is smaller than others who have worn it in the past."

This time, Jennifer sat up and stayed sitting up. "Wait. I thought we were going to have a plan B to avoid the whole marriage thing."

Nodding, he sat down next to her. "My men are away right now, and I alone cannot take on my father's men. I sent word, before speaking up for you, for my men to prepare for the battle we have been planning for over a year to retake the village and restore the peace back to my people."

Shutting her eyes, she forced herself to think. Sensing she was still in pain, Sabrina moved to cover her hair once more. "I will return with a tea that will help with the pain. And the gown. Is there anything from your bag you need? The men threw it against the hut as I was entering."

Jennifer nodded, wincing at the pain. "Yes. A communication device is inside. My friends... they were unconscious when I left."

Sabrina slipped out to return a second later with the bag. "Do not worry about your friends. It was a mild sedative in the dart. Gardon's father forces me to mix it, and I make sure it's safe. They only use it when there are too many people for them to overpower. Otherwise, it would have been worse for your friends." She left to gather the dress for Jennifer.

Jaw clenching at the mentioning of his father's ways, he stood up. "Your friends will not wake up for a few more hours. And my men are not due back until dawn. I'm afraid we're going to have to go through with the wedding. We can make our escape afterward."

Shocked, Jennifer looked at him. "Won't that cause problems for you?"

"Which part? The marriage... or defying my father?" Gardon asked.

She grimaced. "Yikes. Yeah, your life is going to be crazy for awhile, huh? Well, what can we do about the marriage part?"

Sabrina smiled. "That's easy." Gardon looked up, interested. "When the marriage ceremony is taking place, do not eat the bread wafer they give each of you. It is custom for the bride and groom to eat that in order to bind the marriage." Motioning for Gardon to leave, Sabrina instructed Jennifer to take a bath so she could wash and dress her hair. Feeling weird about taking a bath in front of the girl, she mustered up her courage, telling herself a nice, long soak would feel good on her sore body from the beating she took from Gardon's father.

Miles away, John and Ronon were just now waking up from the effects of the darts. Groaning, John moved the rock that had been serving as his "pillow." Taking in his surroundings, he saw that several other villagers were slowly getting to their feet while others were still out cold. Turning his head again, he saw Ronon large forming combing the area, searching for something. Seeing that John was awake, he trudged over to him.

"Doc's gone." Ronon said, dreading the panic he knew John would feel as soon as the words left his mouth. A look of satisfaction crossed his face as he found his weapon.

His heart dropped in his chest. Frantically getting up, he looked around himself. Trying to pull himself together, he turned to Ronon.

"Did you talk to the villagers?"

Ronon nodded. "They missed one boy who was standing in the forest when it happened." Picking up his gun, he grabbed the rest of their supplies. "They took her. The men from the village we were warned about."

Swearing, John moved to keep up with Ronon's bounding steps. "You get a location?"

"Yup." Ronon said, and they started off to find Jennifer.


	6. Chapter 6

In very little time, she was dressed and ready for the "wedding." Sabrina motioned for her to look in the mirror. She had on a white peasant gown, cuffed at the waist and reaching down to the ground. The bodice was fitted with a scooped neck, modest yet showing her feminine curves. Sabrina had curled her hair with rollers from the fire and pulled it in a cascading pile running down the side of her neck.

"Wow. All this for a pretend wedding." Jennifer stated.

Sabrina shrugged. "It will be expected." She gathered up her items and picked up the room. "Do you have a love at home?" She asked, innocently.

Her face tensing, Jennifer sighed. "There's a man. His name is John. But we messed everything up. Now we are just friends."

"Your face tells me that just friends is not what you want." Sabrina softly said.

Looking at herself in the mirror, looking like she had stepped back in time, she frowned. "I don't know what to think anymore."

Adjusting her dress, Sabrina looked up to see Gardon return. Sensing he was dreading what was to come the next day, she moved over to him and grabbed his hand. Looking back at Jennifer, she cocked her head. "This John. Is he one of those with you that were in the village?"

Nodding, Jennifer sat down. "I should try and see if our communicator works again." Reaching down for her bag, she pulled the earpiece over her ear and adjusted the microphone. "Dr. Keller to Colonel John Sheppard... Dr. Keller to Ronon. Can anyone read me?"

Pausing and hoping they would come in, her heart leaped in her chest. "nnifer?" The radio was full of static, indicating they may be just out of range for the communicators to work properly. "You... give us... location." She recognized the voice as John. He sounded panicked.

Standing up, she wandered closer to the door. "John... if you can hear me. Head to the gate."

More static. Jennifer paced, hoping they would try and hail her again. The silence lasted for a few minutes. Suddenly, the door slammed ajar and two men she recognized from her encounter with Gardon's father entered the hut. Quickly turning her head so they couldn't see the device, she hoped it would conceal it.

The men raked their eyes over Jennifer. Shuddering, she backed up.

"Is everything ready?" Gardon demanded.

The men nodded, motioning them to follow.

It felt weird to Jennifer to even be going through the motions of the wedding. As they walked, Gardon grabbed her hand. She had noticed that Sabrina had left to return to her family dwelling. Leaning down to her, Gardon whispered, "Remember, my friend, put the bread in your hand or pocket. Pretend to chew it, but spit it out the first chance you get."

Whispering that she understand, she saw that they were headed to a stone marking up at the top of the hill. Awaiting them was an elderly man, dressed in robes. Gardon's father stood next to him. Jennifer tensed, unwilling to make eye contact with the man that had just hours ago beat her and tossed her aside for his men to take.

The ceremony was short. As promised, the bread was given and both of them put it in their mouths. Turning to descend the hill, each of them discreetly popped them out of their mouths.

Suddenly, a whistle made Gardon's head fly towards the sound. A flash of light shone through the forest.

"What is it?" Jennifer asked.

Gardon swore. "It's my men. They have arrived back earlier than I expected. They are waiting for me to enact the plan."

"Plan? What plan?

Walking slightly faster, he glanced back to make sure his father was not close by. "Before you came today, my men who are loyal to me and the old ways were going to take out my father's followers and leaving me to challenge my father's position. But I fear for your safety now. There would be no time for me to get you back to your friends."

Thinking quickly, she looked up. "Can you communicate to them to wait until it gets dark? Then, you can carry out the plan and I can find my way back on my own." Even as she suggested it, she almost laughed at the possibility of finding her way back in the dark through the forest.

He must have thought the same. "It may work. But I have another plan." Guiding her to the feast, they sat down and began to eat. "I'm going to talk with one of my men who are still here and have him send a message to them."

At the next table, Gardon's father's eyes narrowed. He did not trust this woman. And from the looks of the long conversations his son was having with his new wife, they were planning something. He had suspected his son was not loyal to him for years. This just solidified his theory.

John and Ronon made good time getting to the village. Stopping at the edge of the trees, they held and watched what was happening before them.

Ronon swore, pointing at Jennifer. Grabbing the binoculars, John hissed at the sight of her face.

"Dibs on killing the man who put those marks on her," he muttered.

Half hearing his friend, Ronon began to understand what was occurring in the village. "Looks like a wedding."

"A wedding? They stole our CMO to attend a wedding?" Sheppard looked again through the binoculars, noticing that Jennifer was in deep conversation with the huge, burly young man sitting beside her. For the first time, he saw past her bruised and cut face and took in the rest of her appearance. A dress. White. Hair meticulously done. Flowers in a bouquet next to her plate.

"Ronon," he began, dreading what he was about to ask.

"Yea, it's exactly what you're thinking." Ronon moved towards another group of trees, in search of something. Finding it, he motioned for Sheppard to follow. Sensing his friend didn't want to let Jennifer out of his sight, he pulled him along. "You need to trust me. Something's up. Jennifer would look more nervous if she was scared of the man sitting next to her." Sheppard finally began to follow him. "We're going to have to trust that she trusts him."

Sheppard skidded to a stop. "I'm not leaving her in the hands of a man I don't know, especially since his buddies were the ones who shot us back there and knocked us out for several hours. Not to mention the bruises covering her!"

Frustrated, Ronon stopped. "Sheppard, I know where they'll be headed after the feast. I've been to villages like this." He gestured ahead. "There's a marriage hut just beyond the trees. If we can sneak in before the rest of the village leaves the feast, we won't be seen and will surprise him when they get there."

Trusting his friend, John followed.

The men began getting rowdy after the dinner was over. Sensing that Gardon was tensing up, she knew their departure would be soon. Turning to him, she nodded and they began their ascent to the bridal hut.

Pretending to be whispering in her ear like a lover, he went over the plan. They would both go inside, change, and then one of his men would come for her and lead her back to the gate while the others, including Gardon, would declare battle on Gardon's father and his men.

Opening the door, he allowed Jennifer to go first. Stepping through afterward, he was caught off guard when she was yanked away and pulled to the side of the hut. At the same time, a man slightly larger than him slammed the door and put a gun to his head.

Jennifer, cringing at first for another attack on her body, felt a pair of arms around her and instantly knew it was John. Looking up, smiling for real for the first time in hours, she sighed, digging deeper into his arms.

"You came," she whispered, allowing herself a moment to just feel the warmth of his body and the pleasure of being in his arms again. Not trusting his voice, he eagerly tightened the embrace and pulled her head to his lips. Refusing to let her go, he let his head turn to the man Ronon currently had a gun on.

"OK, pal, you have a minute to fully explain to me what the heck is going on. I want to know who drugged us, who kidnapped her, and what happened to her," John snarled at the man.

Ronon, surprised at the venom in his commanding officer's voice, looked back at the man in question. Before he had a chance to threaten the man himself, Jennifer pulled slightly out of John's arms.

"Wait!" Jennifer started. "Ronon, put the gun down." When he didn't make a move or budge and inch, Jennifer spoke louder. "Now, Ronon. You're going to have to trust me. We have a lot to tell you."

Glancing at Sheppard, who nodded, Ronon finally tugged the gun away from the man.

"I am sorry for what happened to Jennifer," Gardon began, sitting on the bed. "I was not with my father's men at the time or I would have tried to stop it." He went on, explaining how a villager from the town there were in was a spy for her father. The man had told of a beautiful healer who had come to town to help with the winter sickness. You see, we lack women in our village, and my father is obsessed with having a male heir-"

Confused, John looked over at him, still not wanting to release Jennifer. "And you're not one?"

Lightly smiling, Gardon shook his head. "Let me be more specific. He wants a male heir who thinks as he does. My father and I do not see eye to eye on things. For the past year, I have been gathering together men and planning to overthrow my father. Our village was not always like this. Our group is ashamed at the violent and cruel ways my father treats others outside this village."

"And let me take a guess... he was the one who hit her?" John asked, jaw firmly set in anger.

Jennifer nodded. "I made the mistake of pushing his grabby hands away. Then, he said I wasn't good enough for him and he tried to give me to his men."

Angered, both John and Ronon both felt the urge to leave the tent, guns blazing, and settling this matter without hearing the entire story.

"Relax," Jennifer said, shrugging it off. "I should be used to all this with my off world luck." Seeing Gardon's curious look, she explained. 'I've been kidnapped twice... no, three times now. Lots of other fun stuff happens when I step through the gate." Looking back at the guys, she said, "Gardon saved me by telling his father he would marry me and then join him as a leader of the village."

Sheppard shifted, eyes pinning the man again. "OK, then that explains why we came across the village as you were married."

Gardon smiled for the first time. "Don't worry, Colonel Sheppard. It is not binding. We both did not complete the ceremony. Jennifer does not belong to me." He explained the bread still in their pockets.

Snarling, John said. "How lovely." Trying to defuse his temper, he looked at the man. "But thanks. For saving her from those men. It sounds like you thought quick and got her out of a bad situation."

"So now what?" Ronon asked, switching the topics.

Gardon walked to the door and opened it slightly. Seeing that the festivities were winding down and his father's men retreating to their own places for the night, he turned back. "In a few more minutes, the three of you can leave. This hut is close to the forest and it will cloak your escape. Soon, my men will descend upon the village and we will reclaim our ways... our people."

Disappointed the plan did not include smashing the face of Gardon's father, John pushed those thoughts aside in order to focus on getting them back to Atlantis as soon as possible. He pulled out night gear from his bag, as well as a change of clothes for Jennifer.

"The white dress will give us away. Change into these, Jen." John motioned for the men to turn around, while he helped her unbutton the dress. Cursing the small buttons, he unlaced the bodice and then turned to give her privacy. Trying to calm his nerves, he had noticed his hands were still a little shaky from the scare she had caused him.

When she was finished, he heard her struggling behind him. "Clear?" He asked. When he heard a muffled "yes," he turned to see her trying to tuck in the shirt to hold the pants up. Once she did that, he moved over to roll the sleeves several times as well as the pant legs. Grabbing a rope from his bag, he wound it around her waist and tied it snugly.

It was that moment that he realized he was toast. He was completely and utterly head over heals with the small women, face battered and ill-fitting clothes and all. Not only had she been through hell today, but she had the courage to keep her head and was holding strong as the night progressed. But he didn't have a claim on her. He still needed to convince her of his feelings.

Lifting her hand, he kissed it. "I'm going to get you home. And I think I'm going to enjoy writing... I know, shocker... a long report convincing Woolsey that you are never to leave Atlantis again."

"Hey now, there has been a few missions that didn't totally go wrong," Jennifer said, surprised she could joke at a time like this.

Gardon had moved to the door again. Motioning for them to come, they slipped out and made their way to the trees. Once they were there, he turned back to them. "This is where I leave you. I must rejoin my men." Turning to Jennifer, he smiled. "So long, little one." He turned to Sheppard, who was not very happy about the man's display of affection. "Treasure her, Colonel. She is stronger than she thinks she is."

Blushing, Jennifer placed a quick kiss on his check and then moved back to John's side. Sheppard kept her close, not wanting to lose her again. They walked a mile before he realized that he was clinging to her hand. Neither them or Ronon said much on their journey back to the gate. Judging from the time they had began, he figured they were close to their destination.

Reaching the top of a hill, they saw the gate. Keeping to the trees, Ronon led the way.

"John," Jennifer said. Keeping up with him, she struggled to find the words. "I'm sorry the way I left things. Back at the other village. And when I thought I would never see you again-"

His grip tightened on her hand and his face tensed. "I should have known something would happen. Always does with you," he teased, but admitting to himself that he didn't think his heart would recover from this one. Everything was different now, especially the way he felt for her.

Feet away from the gate, Jennifer felt relieved they would be back home in a few minutes. "I did a lot of thinking. Well, when I could. I wanted to tell you-"

Just as she was about to tell him what was on her mind, two large men, the two she recognized from earlier today, each launced themselves at Ronon and John. Shrieking, she dropped back, frantically looking around to see if there were others. Not seeing anyone, she cursed herself for not thinking about grabbing a weapon for the walk back. Watching both John and Ronon struggle to fight off their attackers, she looked around for any weapon. Suddenly, John's gun was knocked away from his hand and landed several feet away from her. Lunging for it, she grabbed it. Clutching the weapon, she held it up just like Ronon had taught her weeks ago during a training. The shot would be impossible, whether she was focused on John or Ronon's attacker. Hoping for a clear one, she kept her finger steady on the trigger, surprising even herself. Her newfound confidence was cut short when someone from behind knocked the gun from her grasp and painfully spun her around to face him.

It was as if she was reliving the morning again. There stood Gardon's father, angrier than before. Deliberately trying to hurt her, his grip on her arms was unforgivingly strong. Moving his hand, he pulled her by her hair and dragged her over to the men.

More of his men had reached them at this time, leaving John and Ronon outnumbered.

Her scream distracted John momentarily, earning him a punch to the stomach. Doubling over, he tried to catch his breath and get over to Jennifer. His opponent had other plans for him and shoved him to the ground.

Out of nowhere, both sides heard the sound of someone approaching. There, through the trees, came Gardon rushing on a horse. He was alone, unfortunately, leaving his men back at the village to hold their position of victory. Even though they had taken the village, they had yet to capture his father. He had a feeling his father had figured out his plan, and now thought he could gain from showing the villagers that the marriage had been a fraud, earning him disapproval among Gardon's supporters.

Taking in the situation, he assessed his options. He knew there would be only one way out since they were outnumbered.


	7. Chapter 7

Giving a loud whistle, Gardon got the attention of the men below. His father, who was holding Jennifer painfully in a tight grip, glare at his son. Regretting the choices he knew his father was making, he had one final hope that he would show mercy.

"Father, hear me." He made sure the men had stopped as well. Pointing at Sheppard, who had slowly regained his footing but was in a full blown rage looking at Jennifer's captor. He looked at Sheppard, and back to his father. "You are holding his man's woman. She belongs to him." Looking at the men, he explained. "I knew this going into the ceremony." Holding up the bread, he proved to them that the marriage was false.

His father seethed in anger. "So, what does it matter? You're not married to her. This man will soon die. Then she will die as well for escaping."

Loosing hope that his father would not come to terms that his village had been taken over, he issued the challenge. "Colonel Sheppard will then invoke the challenge. It is his right to fight for the woman, according to the costumes we have long practiced until recently." He stared down the men, sensing they also knew it was something they had to uphold. Years of neglect of the old ways even made the men wonder if they were doing the right thing.

Gardon's father took one look at the men, who seemed to agree with his son, and angrily threw Jennifer against a tree. Hitting her head, she slumped down, not fully passing out but out of sheer exhaustion and pain.

John fought the urge to go to her, but saw Ronon quickly making his way over to tend to her. Instead, he made eye contact with Gardon. Sensing he must trust the man, he to Gardon's father, he shrugged out of his jacket.

"You kidnapped my woman. Beat her. Offered her to your men. And now you have placed more marks on her." John's voice was deadly quiet, yet the men heard every word. Everyone stepped back, as both he and Gardon's father began to walk, circling one another, each forming a plan of attack. "I do challenge you. Because I want to put each mark that you put on her back on your body. Four times over."

It didn't seem like that a man of John's size could do much damage to the man whom he was challenging. Although he had adrenalin and revenge in his favor, Gardon knew he needed something extra to tip the scales in his favor.

"By law, each of you may chose a fighting weapon," Gardon said. "A sword or a staff." As the men chose, Gardon was surprised to see Sheppard grab the staff rather than the sharp sword that his father chose.

Ronon, seeing that Jennifer just had a few more painful cuts and bruises, knew she would be OK once they got back to Atlantis. Getting her there was the problem. He had been listening to the conversation as he tended to her. He had confidence in his friend's ability to overpower Gardon's father, but he did not have size and strength in his favor. Not leaving Jennifer's side, he watched as each man picked up their weapon.

Before beginning, Sheppard looked over to make sure Jennifer was OK. A silent message passed between the friends. Looking at her battered face, the rage regained in his soul and the desire to kill the man before him forced him to focus and put into place every piece of training he had received on Earth and with Ronon on Atlantis.

Gardon's father laughed. "I feel sorry for your woman, Colonel." Inspecting the sword, he met Sheppard's eyes. "Once we deal with you, it will be easy to take out your friend. And then... she'll be ours for the taking."

John's nostrils flared. "We'll see about that." In that instead, Gardon's father lunged at him. Quickly side stepping him, John knew he would have speed and agility in his favor. The men battled. At one point, Gardon's father got close and nicked John's arm. His wound began to bleed and oozed out onto his shirt. Not even noticing the pain, he tightly gripped the staff again and fought off another advance coming at him.

He could tell the man was losing speed. Endurance was another edge Sheppard had on him, thanks to many hours of training and working out. The man who began to slow down before him had gone soft, getting his men to do most of the work over the years.

Sensing an opening, he knocked the larger man's elbow away and used the staff to come down hard against the man's back. Gardon's father yelled at the pain, collapsing. John, not counting him out, quickly went over to the man and used the staff to hold it against the man's throat. Choking him, he whispered low.

"I shouldn't let you live." Sheppard growled in a low voice. "I want to kill you for what you did to her." He saw the man struggling to stay conscious. "However," he said. "I'll give you a choice. Out of respect for your son." Loosening his hold, he spoke louder so that all could hear him. "I'm giving this man a choice. Option one, is he dies. Option number two is that he publicly steps down from leadership and let's his son take over in his place." Tightening the hold once more, he glared down at the man under him. "What will it be?"

Sweat poured from every cell. He began gasping for breath, but bit out a few words. "You don't have the stomach to kill."

Sheppard looked down in amazement. With his teeth clenched, he muttered. "Idiot. You going to test that?"

The man gasped and yelled. "OK. OK." He choked again. "You win."

Sheppard released his hold on the man. His men, sensing defeat was imminent, he stood at Gardon's side. They were no longer going to do his father's bidding. John looked for the first time since he had begun fighting for Jennifer. She was leaning against a tree, with Ronon blocking most of her view. He could make out the swollen face and he yearned to go over and bundle her up in his arms.

Gardon's father began to rise up from the ground. Sheppard shook his head. "Not so fast." Putting all of his weight into hit, he sent the man's head back with two hard punches to the face. "I promised not to kill you, but I couldn't forget about my promise to hurt you four times over."

Wiping his hands, John made his way over to Jennifer and Ronon. His friend gave him a small smile, lightly pounding on his back.

"Nice job, Sheppard." Ronon turned towards Jennifer, who was trying to look up at them. Between the sun and her swollen eye, she could only squint.

"There you are." Jennifer said. "Can we go home yet?" Wincing when she tried to smile, she reached up for him as a child would. He knelt before her and scooped her in his arms. His body ached. But he didn't doubt that he would have lost his mind in one more second if he didn't have her completely in his hold. Leaning down and kissing her temple, he nodded at Ronon to lead the way.

Gardon and his men, who had switched their loyalty immediately to him, followed as well.

"Thank you," Gardon said. "For your part in this. My people will rejoice that we can live in peace once more."

John craned his neck. "We were glad to see the outcome. But thanks. To you. For saving her. And for helping us just now."

The man shook his head. "You did most of the work." He nodded at Jennifer, who had slipped into a light sleep. "My soon to be wife and I would love for Jennifer, and you too, of course, to return for the wedding." Gardon laughed. "My real wedding. And we would love to exchange our loyalty and friendship to you and your people. We do not have much to offer or trade, but our loyalty to you will be pledged."

"Friendship," John said. "Has its weight in gold in our minds. And I'm sure Jennifer will want to return. We can show you how to contact us before we leave."

They talked for a few more minutes at the gate. Gardon and his men finally bid their goodbyes and retreated to their village. As Ronon was dialing the gate, John noticed that Jennifer was coming out of her sleep.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," he said tenderly. "Feeling OK?"

Jennifer moaned. "Well, the bed is comfy at least." Wrapping her arms around his neck, she nestled more into his arms. "And warm."

John smiled. "So, you and I are going to have a long chat when we get back. Especially about your stubbornness. If we're going to officially start this relationship.. for real this time, you're going to have to-"

"What? I haven't even agreed to-" Jennifer cut him off.

John quieted her with a look. "Nope. You take too long making decisions. I've decided for you." Hearing Ronon snort ahead of them, he began walking towards the open gate. "You're stuck with me."

Grinning, she looked up at him. Jennifer had already come to the same conclusion. She couldn't live without him now. But she had to tease him. Steps away from the gate, she looked into his eyes. "But what if I want to date other guys? I mean, you're not the only hunky military man around Atlantis. Maybe I want to keep my options open." Not able to finish her statement without breaking into a smile.

He glared down at her. Now through the gate, he looked up. The room was filled. Woolsey. Lorne's team. Teyla. Dozens of military men, all curious to see if Sheppard and Ronon had made it back with the doctor. "This should do the trick." He set her gently down. As soon as he saw that she was steady on her feet, he cupped her head, dipped slightly off balance so that everyone could see, and kissed her senseless. At least a full minute went by. Somewhere in the background, he heard the yells and applause from different corners of the room. Ending the kiss, he scooped her back into his arms and followed Ronon to the infirmary.

"What," she asked. "Was that for?"

Ronon grinned and turned around. "I think Sheppard just put his brand on you." He laughed. "No man here, military or not, would be crazy to mess with you now if they didn't know about you guys before."

Finding it hard to be annoyed, she pretended to be offended.

"Hey, keep that pouting up and we'll do a repeat performance in the infirmary," Sheppard warned. Laughing at her horrified look, he found himself happier than he had ever been. Life with the woman in his arms would be sweet.

* * *

_The end! Thanks for the reviews! This is my third story I've published on FF and I'm having a lot of fun writing during my daughter's naps. And reading some of your stories as well! While I love the Ronon/Jennifer coupling, the John/Jennifer ship has been in my head for this past week and it's been fun seeing her just friends with Ronon. My next adventure is a Jennifer/Cameron story, but I'm going to wait until it's complete before publishing that. Maybe in about a month or so.  
_

_The reviews have been so encouraging! I've just been cranking everything out for this story, so I haven't done as much editing compared to my others. I'm sorry for any typos, grammatical errors, or factual errors that conflicts with the SGA timeline/show. _

_Thank you!_


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